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Training Camp Arc
The Hellish Training Arc is the second story arc of the Shokugeki no Soma series. It focuses on the 92nd Tōtsuki Generation's first major event: Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp at the Tōtsuki Resort. Cooking Duels * Yukihira-Tadokoro Vs. Shinomiya Shokugeki Summary Prologue The arc begins with a small meeting between the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy staff, where they mentioned the first major class whittling process for the 92nd Tōtsuki Generation. A few days after his first Shokugeki, Sōma Yukihira and the rest of the Polar Star residents worked in the Dormitory garden. Soon after, the Polar Star first years receive news about their upcoming training camp, the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp, a camp notorious for eliminating hundreds of students by the end of the week. Though everyone was worried if they would make it through, Sōma remained positive, stating that if only half of the people will pass, they will have to be in the half that passes. A few days after receiving the announcement, the entire 92nd Generation arrived at the Tōtsuki Resort where the camp is being held. Inside the reception hall, the silence was unsettling but Sōma broke the mood and managed to find Ikumi Mito among the crowd before Roland Chapelle quieted the students. Roland introduced the guests brought in to assist in the camp, a group of famous chefs who were among the 1% to graduate from Tōtsuki, the Tōtsuki Academy Alumni. Then, Kojirō Shinomiya immediately expelled a student because the scent of his hairdressing product could hinder the aroma of the dishes. The head of the camp, Gin Dōjima used this as an example for the tone of the camp, as the alumni had the authority to "fire" any students who did not meet the alumni's expectations. With the rules set, the hellish training camp began. The First Day Shortly after, the first assignment is supervised by Hinako Inui who declared that the task will require them to work with their partners from Roland's class. Happy that Megumi Tadokoro was partnered with Sōma, she ran over to Sōma just as a mysterious boy stomped on Sōma's foot, declaring that he would defeat Sōma. As the assignment began, there were no ingredients in the kitchen, much to everyone's surprise. Hinako informed them that their ingredients will have to come from anywhere in the outside area. She also added that they have two hours to gather their ingredients and present their dish that would meet her approval. The boy, who later introduced himself as Takumi Aldini, asked Hinako to judge whose dish would superior between the two but she initially refused, saying that it had nothing to do with their assignment. Takumi then left the room with his partner and twin brother, Isami Aldini to prepare their dish. Sōma and Megumi gather a few ingredients and return to the kitchen just as Takumi arrives with an Aigamo duck. As he waited for his meal to cook, Takumi tells Sōma that he had pride in his own family owned restaurant, Trattoria Aldini. After they presented their dish, an Aigamo Grilled with Spices, Hinako was impressed by its deep flavor and passes the Aldini twins. She recalled Takumi's earlier statement for her to judge their dish against Sōma and Megumi's dish and accepts Takumi's request. However, she adds that the loser must bow before the winner and call themselves a dejected loser three times. Sōma finalized his dish choice and sent Megumi to gather some garnish. For his secret weapon, he snatched Hinako's kaki seeds and immediately left the room to gather a few more ingredients. Returning to the kitchen, Sōma and Megumi cook a Char Okakiage and presented it to Hinako. Impressed by the ingenuity of the kaki seeds and the well made arrangement, Hinako passes Sōma and Megumi as time expired. Sōma and Takumi ask her which dish she thought was better, but Hinako could not decide so she declared that it was a draw. Takumi declared that he would defeat him when the met again. Returning to the Resort, the students thought they would finally get some rest, but Hitoshi Sekimori informs them that they first had to cook 50 Beef Steak Meals for the hotel's guests and had to cook their own meals. Sōma easily finished the task, completing it well before everyone else. Alone, Sōma decided to take a bath in the hotel's hot spring to pass the time. On his way to the hot-spring he bumps into Erina Nakiri. After their encounter, Sōma heads into the bath where another person was already bathing: Gin Dōjima. Gin was impressed that Sōma had managed to finish before he finished his bath, saying that last year only Satoshi Isshiki had accomplished the same feat. Sōma and Gin chatted for a while, discussing about Erina who Gin felt will become the greatest masterpiece every created in Tōtsuki. Still, Gin wished Sōma good luck on his journey at Tōtsuki. After his bath, Sōma met up with the rest of the Polar Star in Zenji Marui's room. Though most of them collapsed from fatigue, Sōma, Megumi, Ryōko Sakaki and Shun Ibusaki remained conscious. Megumi expressed doubts in her abilities, but Sōma told her that she really helped him out today and that he only succeeded thanks to her help. Second Day On the second day, Sōma and Megumi is placed under Kojirō's instructions. For his assignment, Kojirō tasks them with cooking a Nine Vegetable Terrine. With only three hours to complete the assignment, the students quickly rushed towards the ingredients laid out to gather what they needed. Though Megumi managed to gather mostly what she needed, when she went to gather the cauliflower needed, the remaining ones were badly oxidized. Worried that she would fail if she attempted to cook them in their current state, Megumi thought up a way to fix the problem and quickly cooked her assigned dish. Sōma passed the assignment with little difficulty. When Megumi presented the dish to Kojirō, he immediately fired her for altering his recipe. Sōma faulted Kojirō for the bad cauliflower and that Megumi was worthy to stay. Kojirō did not take Sōma's defiance well and threatened to expel him. Megumi accepted his judgment and tried to stop Sōma before he did something too rash, but Sōma confronted Kojirō as her eyes welled with tears and challenged him to a Shokugeki to rescind Megumi's explusion. Though Kojirō refused as per the rules of a Shokugeki, Gin and Hinako overheard the challenge and made an unofficial Shokugeki, forcing Kojirō to comply. As Sōma and Megumi left Gin's office, she scolded him for his reckless action. Sōma asserted that he did it because she was not meant to be expelled from Tōtsuki. After completing their afternoon task, Megumi and Sōma arrives at the basement kitchen in the Resort where Kojirō, Hinako, Hitoshi, Donato Gotōda and Fuyumi Mizuhara were waiting. Gin invited the latter three to serve as the judges for the Shokugeki as Hinako would be a biased judge. Using the remaining vegetables from that day, Gin declared that their dishes will use them as a basis and added one last condition to the Shokugeki, in which Megumi had to be the head chef and Sōma the sous-chef. With the conditions set, Kojirō begins to cook however the pressure became too great for Megumi and she began to tense up in fear. Sōma brought her hands together and clapped on them hard, breaking her out of her trembling. Instead of focusing on what Kojirō was preparing, Megumi was encouraged by Sōma to make a dish that best suited her and showed the alumni her true skills. After choosing her dish, Megumi and Sōma set out to work. Though Megumi had difficulty in the beginning leading Sōma, he took the initiative to show her that he would be a good partner. Thanks to Sōma's incredible assistance throughout the cooking time, Megumi completed her dish. Kojirō presented his dish first, a Chou Farci. As the judges ate his dish, the reception is overwhelmingly positive. However, Gin was left unsatisfied as the dish Kojirō gave was not from his specialties. Kojirō smugly replied that he was simply holding back because his challengers were nothing more than students. When it was Megumi's turn to present, her Rainbow Terrine received praise from the judges. After eating both dishes, the judges were given a coin to represent a vote. One by one, they placed their coin on the plate of the chef who they felt cooked the better dish. In a decisive and one-sided result, Kojirō won the match. Kojirō mocked both Sōma and Megumi as he prepared to depart. However Gin unexpectedly placed a coin in Megumi's dish, much to everyone's surprise. When Kojirō asked Gin about his impromptu vote, he tossed a coin to him, asking if he has been stagnant all the time. Enraged, Kojirō responded to Gin for pointing his flaws better than himself, only to be halted by Gin who made him eat Megumi's dish to prove his point. As he ate her dish, Megumi's hospitality in her dish pierced his cold heart and reminded him of his childhood, causing him to drop his coin into her plate. Hinako added one last coin to Megumi's plate, rendering the duel a tie. Gin left the final decision to Kojirō, who accepted that Megumi's hospitality was worth keeping in Tōtsuki. Gin added a few last words, encouraging Megumi to continue to use her hospitality as her greatest asset. After collecting herself, Megumi and Sōma departed from the kitchen as she noticed a massive amount of calls and messaging from the other Polar Star members. Megumi thanked Sōma for believing in her when she did not believe in herself before Sōma told her to head back without him. Alone, he slammed his fist into a nearby wall out of frustration, upset that he had "lost" the duel since he was cooking to win. Meeting in Zenji's room once more, Megumi told them about her duel. As Sōma returned, Yūki Yoshino slapped him for being reckless, but Megumi reminded her that Sōma is the reason why she's still with them. With the Polar Star 92nd generation still in tact, they prepared for the next half of the camp. The Fourth Day & Breakfast Buffet Challenge On the third night, an unexpected announcement was made over the hotel intercom, summoning the students to the main hall. Gin announced that the students will be responsible to serve a breakfast dish for the hotel guests at 6 AM the following morning, meaning that they did not have any time to sleep. With eggs as a basis, Sōma and the rest of the students quickly headed to the kitchens to make their dishes. Alice Nakiri and Ryō Kurokiba arrived at Sōma's station, who watched him cook at his station before leaving. As the morning of the fourth day arrived, the students arrived in their respective stations. As luck would have it, Sōma's cooking station was next to none other than Erina. As he settled into his kitchen, the doors opened as the guests began to flood in. Gin added that they had just two hours to serve 200 dishes as the assignment began. As time went on, some people began to achieve the 200 quota including Megumi, Takumi, and Erina. While in Hall B, Ikumi barely managed to serve her 200 dish quota due to the fact that Alice has served 380 dishes. With only 30 minutes remaining, Sōma had only served ten. For his dish, Sōma decided to serve a Mini Soufflé Omelette, but his dish was not suitable for a buffet because the dish quickly lost form if it was not served quickly. To make matters worse, Erina's own dish was stealing much of the guest's attention. However Sōma was planning how to overcome his unfortunate handicap. When Akari Miyano was pushed away from Erina's kitchen by some boys, Sōma caught her attention. Saying that he was about to perform magic, he cooked a Mini Soufflé Omlette right before her eyes and served it to her. Slowly, Sōma's dish began to attract the attention of the guests. He increased the stoves he was using to 8 and quickly began to put on a live cooking exhibition for the guests. With just five seconds to spare, Sōma completed his 200 dish quota. In the end though, Erina had served over 400 dishes. Catching his breath, Sōma was confronted by Alice Nakiri. She introduced herself as Erina's Danish cousin. Alice taunted Sōma, stating that he does not have the caliber to stand at the top of Tōtsuki and told him that he barely passed the assignment. Sōma agreed that it was a close call, but he told her that he had the experience of "failure". Just then, Gin announced that they had just four hours before the next assignment. The Final Day On the fifth day, the students gathered in the Main Hall once more in the evening. Most of them were exhausted from a lack of sleep and the difficult challenges over the course of the five days there. Gin enters the Hall and announced that of the 980 students who started off at the camp, 628 had made it thus far. After some inspiring words telling the students to use the experience to further their culinary journey, Gin announced the final assignment of the camp. Suddenly the doors nearby opened as the Tōtsuki Resort Staff welcome the students into the Banquet Hall. Gin announced that the 628 students who had made it thus far had passed the camp and the final assignment was a lavish banquet prepared by the Resort Staff and the Tōtsuki Alumni. The next day, Sōma and Megumi ran into Kojirō in the hotel lobby, who was preparing to return to France with the new goal of earning a 3 Michelin Star rating for his restaurant. The other Alumni have gathered to see Sōma and Megumi off but more importantly, they hoped to recruit them to work for their restaurant. Confused, Sōma and Megumi is told by Gin and Hiromi Sena that the Alumni agree to participate in the camp because it is an opportunity for them to look for potential recruits once they graduate. As Sōma started to depart the lobby and turned his back towards them, Gin suddenly recognized the similarity between Sōma's and Jōichiro's silhouette. Unfortunately, Erina and Sōma forgot their important item back in the hotel room and missed the bus. Moments later, Erina reluctantly allowed Sōma into her car back to Tōtsuki. During the car ride, both of them were silent until Sōma brought up her earlier claims that he would fail the camp, much to Erina's chagrin. Sōma learned from Erina that the Tōtsuki Autumn Election was around the corner. Erina brought up Sōma's "gained experience of failing" quote. She told him that chef must be perfect like a "certain man's" cooking. When Soma asked why she missed the bus, Erina denied him an answer. Seeing that there was nothing else to talk about, Sōma decided to take a nap for the rest of the car ride back. It was revealed that Erina returned to her room to retrieved a diary with a photo of a young Erina with her cooking idol, Jōichirō Yukihira, inside. Shortly after, Gin confirmed his suspicion about Sōma when he called Jōichirō, who told him that Sōma Yukihira is his son, over the phone. Then, another photo was revealed, showing a young Gin and Jōichirō as the former 1st and 2nd seat of the Elite Ten Council. Short Summary *The 92nd Tōtsuki Generation participates in the first class whittling event; the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp. *The Tōtsuki Academy Alumni are introduced *The Aldini brothers are introduced and Takumi Aldini becomes one of Sōma Yukihira's rivals **The Aldini Brothers challenge Sōma and Megumi to a cooking duel. The result is a tie. *Megumi Tadokoro and Sōma have a Shokugeki against Kojirō Shinomiya to annul Megumi's expulsion due to the latter. **Megumi and Sōma initially lose the Shokugeki, but an intervention by Gin Dōjima ultimately allows Megumi and Sōma to continue on in the camp. *Sōma meets Erina's cousin Alice Nakiri and her assistant Ryō Kurokiba, creating another rivalry between Sōma and the former. *628 students remain at the end of camp, including all of the Polar Star residents. *Jōichirō is revealed to be a former Tōtsuki student with the last name Saiba, a good friend of Gin, and a former Elite Ten Council second seat. **Jōichirō also is revealed to have worked at the Nakiri mansion as a personal chef for Erina Nakiri. He also is her cooking idol. *Kōjirō decides to pursue a 3 Micheline Star rating for his restaurant in France. Manga and Anime Differences (To be added) Trivia * This arc has the 2nd longest duration just behind the Tōtsuki Autumn Election Arc, lasting 21 chapters. Category:Story Arc